Changing Seasons, Changing Lives
by BaneHardy13
Summary: John Cena wanted something new, but when he saves Jeff Hardy from being kidnapped, he may have gotten more excitement then he bargained for…
1. A walk in the park

_**Changing Seasons, Changing Lives**_

**Summary: **John Cena wanted something new, but when he saves Jeff Hardy from being kidnapped, he may have gotten more excitement then he bargained for…

**Disclaimer: **I do not own WWE or anything connected with it… Wish I did…

**Chapter: **One

John Cena walked into the dark street after his match on Smackdown. Normally he stayed to watch the other matches, but tonight he just wasn't up to it. His mind was full of thoughts and he needed some quiet time. He walked down the street. He didn't want to drive. He was hoping the city air would knock him out of this slump anyway.

He wondered into a park and found a nice quiet bench. He sat on it and admired the trees. They were just starting to turn as it was early October. _At least they change, _John thought to himself. He sighed. It was starting to get cold and John hadn't brought a jacket. He stood and started to walk when he heard a commotion behind him. It sounded like teenage nonsense, so he shrugged it off and started to walk away.

"Stop it!"

The voice John heard sound almost familiar. He turned to see what was going on, but nothing could be seen through the thick trees and no one was on the concrete pathway. John stood for a moment straining to hear something else.

"Shut him up! Someone is going to hear him!"

John took a few steps towards the voices and then he heard rustling in the trees ahead. A man emerged. Someone John had never seen before. He didn't seem to notice him as he gave the clear for his friends to join him on the path. Two more men came out and one of them was holding someone in his arms. The lifeless man was wrapped in a jacket, and John couldn't see him as well as the others. The three looked around as John stood in the shadows of a tree.

"Let's get out of here." The first man said, "I want to get him home before someone notices he's missing."

John gave a confused look as the men passed him almost silently. When they were far enough away, John started to follow them. He wasn't sure what they were up to, but he knew, whatever it was, it couldn't have been good for the sleeping man. At least John hoped he was sleeping.

The three men left the park and started to climb into a nice mustang parked right outside the entrance. The man laid the sleeping man in the car and John knew if he didn't do something now, he would loose his chance to help him.

"Hey!" John yelled. Two of the men turned to him menacingly. John gulped. He hadn't really thought of anything to say.

"What do you want? We have stuff to do!" The first man yelled.

_Think John! Think! _

"Um… I was just… uh… I want to… Tell you what a nice car you have!" John walked over and started to admire the machine. "I mean, this is sharp. What did you give for this?"

The men seemed annoyed with him, but John knew he had to get to the other side of the car. To the open door. He started to walk around the front still rambling on about how amazed he was by the car. Finally he was standing mere feet from the door. One of the men was standing by the trunk, but the other two were on the other side of the car.

_Here goes nothing. _

John rushed to the open door and pulled the sleeping man by the wrist.

"Hey!" The men yelled. John pulled the man into his arms and sprinted back into the park. He heard the men close on his heels, but he just kept running. Thank god the man was light. John finally ducked into the trees and ran deep into the forest. He stopped to listen and was relieved to here the men run right past him.

He laid the man down and caught his breath. He looked at the man for the first time and gasped when he saw that he knew him. It was Jeff Hardy. John stared at him, but quickly snapped out of it and gently shook him.

"Jeff?" He said quietly, hoping the men wouldn't double back. Jeff didn't stir. John saw his chest moving up and down, so at least he was breathing.

"Jeff, wake up. Come on… I can't carry you again. Jeff…"

Still, Jeff laid lifeless on the ground. John went to wipe his forehead, but noticed a thick liquid on his arm. He gasped when he saw it was blood. He quickly lifted Jeff up and searched him for wounds. John quickly found a small gash on his head. John shook his head. Jeff couldn't stay here. John wasn't a doctor, but he knew the cold and the stress couldn't be helping Jeff's head.

_Damn… _John thought, _I should've brought my cell phone. Wait! _

John reached into Jeff's large pockets and was relieved to find a cell phone. He opened it and there was a text from Matt. John just hit the call button.

"Jeff! Finally! We're waiting for at the…"

"Matt… It's John Cena."

"Cena? Why do you have Jeff's phone?"

"It's a long story. Can you meet me in the park? Jeff needs help."

"Help? What happened?"

"Matt, just trust me. I won't be at the entrance just walk down the path and I'll find you. Hurry up."

"Ok fine… You better expl…"

John just hung up on him, and put the phone in his pocket. John didn't really know how far away he was. He certainly didn't want to miss him, but he didn't want to leave Jeff alone and chance those guys finding him. After a few minuets, John knew he had to meet Matt. He pulled his shirt off to make a pillow for Jeff. He stood.

"I'll be back, ok?" He said to Jeff, although he knew he couldn't hear him. He walked through the woods, and finally found the path. There was no sign of Matt until John heard voices coming from the entrance. At first he backed into the shadows just in case it was the men, but he ran out when he was sure it was Matt's voice he was hearing. It was Matt Hardy, Shannon Moore, and some big guy John didn't know.

"Matt.." John ran over to them.

"Cena… Where's Jeff?"

"Back here. Follow me."

They followed him and along the way, John explained why he had Matt's little brother out in the woods.

"Did you see what the guys looked like?" Shannon asked as the emerged to the clearing where Jeff laid exactly as John had left him.

"Not well. They were young and tall. They were wearing nice clothes and had a rather nice car. Was there a mustang out by the entrance?"

"No." Shannon continued. Matt was already by Jeff's side, talking to him, and trying to wake him. "What do you think they were doing?" Shannon asked John. He just shook his head. "I don't think I want to know."

Finally the big guy just picked Jeff up and he and Matt joined Shannon and John. Matt handed John his shirt. "His head isn't bleeding anymore. I think he'll be fine. Do you need a ride?"

"My car is at the venue. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" The big guy asked.

"Kimo has a Hummer. There is plenty of room." Shannon assured.

John finally agreed and they walked out of the park. Kimo gently sat Jeff in the front seat. The rest filed into the back. Kimo drove carefully to the venue.

"Oh.. Here." John handed Shannon Jeff's phone. "Let me know ok?" Shannon nodded. Matt got out and walked over to John. "Thanks man. You have know idea how much it means."

"No problem. Let me know how his is doing ok?"

Matt nodded and shook John's hand. He climbed back into the Hummer and they drove off. John threw his shirt in the back of his car, and climbed in the driver's seat. He couldn't help but think about Jeff. He was so worried about him. Also, he was confused.

What did those men want with Jeff? Where were they taking him? Would they try again?

He shook it off and drove down the road.

When Jeff awoke, his head was throbbing. He looked around to see he was in a hotel bed. It took him a bit, but he sat up and held his head. He looked to his right to see Kimo and Shannon sleeping on the other bed. He then turned to his left to see Matt sleeping in the uncomfortable wooden chair. Jeff crawled to the edge of the bed and lightly tapped his older brother. Matt's eyes fluttered open.

"Hey brother." He said sleepily rubbing his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine…" Jeff sat on the edge of the bed. Preparing to stand. "My head hurts a little but I'm alright. What happened?"

As Jeff stood, Matt started to explain what happened. Jeff had to steady himself on the dresser as he listened. "I remember the men approaching me at the venue. They said they wanted to talk to me about some charity thing. They said it would take a while so we should walk in the park. I found it kind of weird, but I followed them. When we got deep into the path, they started to talk about how much money they could make off of me. I have no idea what they meant, I assumed they were talking about the charity, but I was wrong I guess. The big guy threw me in the bushes, but that must have been when I hit my head. I don't remember anything after that."

"John Cena was the one who called for us to come get you. Apparently, he saved you."

Jeff shook his head as he laid back down. "Lay down." He pointed beside him.

"But.. You need to rest well… and.."

"Shut up Matt, and get in the bed. We did it when we were kids, we can do it now. We'll talk about this in the morning when my head doesn't hurt."

Matt smiled to himself and climbed in the bed. He fell asleep almost instantly. Jeff smiled at his brother and turned over.

"John Cena…."


	2. Breakfast

_Changing Seasons, Changing Lives_

Summary: **John Cena wanted something new, but when he saves Jeff Hardy from being kidnapped, he may have gotten more excitement then he bargained for…**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own WWE or anything connected with it… Wish I did…

**Chapter: **Two

John Cena turned over in his hotel bed. It was still early and he didn't really want to get up. After all, he certainly had a crazy night. Finally he sat up. He rubbed his eyes and stood. Suddenly all the thoughts of the night before rushed into his head.

_Jeff… _

John quickly found his phone, but it was in vain considering he didn't have any numbers to get in touch with either Hardy boy or any of their friends. So he started searching through his contacts for anyone who might have Matt or Jeff's number. The only person he thought might have it was Evan Bourne. He pressed the call button and waited.

"Hello?"

"Hey Evan. It's Cena."

"Hey! What's up?"

"Actually I'm looking for a number. You wouldn't have anyway to get hold of Matt or Jeff Hardy do you?"

"Actually. I have Matt's number. Hold on."

"Thanks…"

John heard Evan fumble around and press some buttons on his phone. "Ok. You ready?" John had paper and a pen in front of him already. "Yeah, go ahead."

"555-1314. Why are you trying to get a hold of him?"

"It's a long story trust me. Thanks Evan. I'll hit you up one day and we'll hang out, ok?"

"Ok. Talk to you then."

John hung up the phone and stared at the number in front of him. Was it too soon to call? He shook his head. He didn't want Matt to think what he had said wasn't true, but he was extremely worried about Jeff. Finally, he decided a shower would help him choose. He walked into the bathroom and striped his clothes. He found the perfect water temperature and jumped in. The water rolling down his muscular body felt amazing. As if it was washing away everything that had happen. Everything, of course, except for that picture of Jeff lying lifeless on the ground.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Jeff was in the shower too. He didn't remember a lot of what happened last night and it scared him. He tried not to think about it. It was all a little much more him that early in the morning. Matt hadn't tried to talk to him about it yet. To be honest, he was dreading his brother's questions.

He finally walked out of the bathroom, sporting a towel and wet locks of purple hair. Shannon and Kimo were not in the room, and Matt was playing with his cell phone.

"Where did Shannon and Kimo go?" Jeff asked, pulling his shirt over his head. Matt closed his phone and sat it on the table.

"You know those two." He said with a smile, "Kimo mentioned food and they rushed off to get donuts. They'll be back." Jeff nodded and finished dressing. His brother stared out the window for a bit, when his phone started to vibrate on the table.

"Jeff, do you know 555-4234?"

Jeff shook his head and sat on the other side of his brother. Matt opened his phone.

"Hello?"

"Matt. It's John Cena."

"Oh. Hey…"

"I just wanted to see how Jeff was doing…"

Matt looked over at Jeff with a mischievous smile. Jeff gave him that 'brother' look. "Oh, he's alright. In fact, we were all about to go out to breakfast. Care to join?"

John was silent on the phone for a second. "Actually, that sounds great. Where?"

"Shoney's. Say a hour?"

"Great. See you then."

Matt hung up the phone and Jeff punched his arm. "Ow!"

"What the hell, Matthew? Kimo and Shannon just went out to get breakfast. Why did you invite him to Shoney's?"

"Because Jeff!" Matt rubbed his arm. "He's worried about you. Plus, don't you want an opportunity to tell him thank you for pretty much saving your life?"

Jeff just looked at the ground. Matt was right. He did want to see him and talk to him. Of course, Jeff wanted to do that alone. Then Jeff's mind hatched the perfect idea. He rushed into the bathroom and changed into a tight black tank top, and Tripp pants. He pulled a zip-up hoodie over it. Matt looked at him confused. He knew he was up to something. He watched his brother fix his hair in the mirror. Jeff pulled his phone off the charger, checked it, then slid it into his pocket. Matt examined his brother, trying to read his thoughts by mere visual contact. Jeff smiled at him, which confirmed Matt's thoughts.

"What are you up to?"

Jeff laughed. "Nothing. Nothing at all. I just solved our breakfast dilemma."

Matt shot him another look. "I was unaware there was a dilemma."

"Well, Kimo and Shannon just left to get breakfast, right?"

"Right…"

"I'm really the only one who needs to talk to John Cena right?"

Matt nodded. Now he understood.

"You three stay here and I'll go eat with him myself."

"All by yourself? With John Cena?"

Jeff laughed at his brother again, but Matt could tell his brother had deeper reasons for going alone. So Matt agreed. Jeff opened his phone. "We don't have any plans today do we?" Matt shook his head. "You're free all day." Jeff smiled, but it quickly faded. Matt noticed.

"What's wrong?" Jeff shook his head and sat on the bed with a sigh.

"It's just…" Jeff trailed off trying to find the words, "Last night. What happened… I don't understand it. It would be different if I knew what they wanted, but I don't know anything. It just… scares me." Matt gave his brother a sympathetic look. He walked over to the bed, and pulled his little brother into a hug.

Jeff let his head rest on Matt's shoulder. Matt stroked his hair. "Cena can answer some questions I can't, but the important thing is that you're ok, and you're safe. Isn't that all that matters?" Jeff nodded.

"Well, yeah, but… It wasn't random. They knew my name. They knew your name. What if… they try again?"

Matt hushed his brother. "Don't think like that Jeff. You have plenty of people to protect you." Jeff nodded. He looked up at the clock.

"It's about time for me to go." He stood and coolly picked up the keys to Matt's Lamborghini, "See you, brother." Matt ignored the fact that Jeff was jacking his car. "Have fun…"

_**At Shoney's!!**_

Jeff pulled into the parking lot. He got out, leaned against the car, and lit a cigarette. He would have had one at the hotel, but Matt wouldn't have had that. Jeff promised Matt he would try to quit, but really, he wasn't trying that hard. He took a long drag and let it out slowly. He looked around the parking lot, feeling suddenly paranoid. He tried to shake the feeling as he hit his cigarette again.

"Hey…"

Jeff almost jumped out of his skin as he whipped around to see John Cena standing on the other side of the Lambo. He sighed. "Hey…" He said nervously. John noticed this.

"Didn't mean scare you."

"Oh, I scared myself, trust me."

John smiled at him. "Where's your brother?"

"They decided not to join us. Kimo and Shannon wanted donuts." John laughed.

"I take it that Kimo is the big guy?" Jeff nodded and took a drag of his cigarette. John noticed this as he walked over to Jeff's side of the car. "I thought you quit those. At least that's what Matt said."

"To Matt's knowledge, he didn't lie."

John laughed again. "I see." Jeff looked up at his through his violet hair. He was so genuine. Everything about him was so open and happy. Not at all like himself. Jeff had a lot of secrets. He finished his cigarette, and the two walked into the restaurant. They were seated and they started to look over the menu.

"Well, what do you like?" John asked Jeff. Jeff smiled. He felt like he was on a date. Not that he was complaining.

"Buffet is alright with me."

John nodded. "I agree. Do you drink coffee?"

"Live off of it."

John smiled at him, and Jeff couldn't help but feel a slight blush creep on to his cheeks. He shook it off as the two started to talk. They ate and chatted like they were old friends. Jeff learned a lot about John. Jeff was right when he considered John genuine. There really wasn't a lot to him, but still something about his words, and they way he laughed just made Jeff smile.

"John…" Jeff sighed as he hated to bring the mood down.

"Yeah?"

"I hate to kill the mood, but… I had some questions about last night."

John let out a small sigh, but he looked at Jeff thoughtfully. "How about I explain everything from the beginning?" Jeff nodded and listened carefully as John started from the top. John gave him as much detail about the men and what he heard them say as he could, but that wasn't much. Jeff looked at the ground once John finished. He shook his head.

"I don't understand it, John…" He said finally. John smiled at him as he slipped the waiter his credit card to pay for the meal. Jeff noticed and gave John a look, but it made Jeff happy. Was this guy for real?

"I saw that.."

John laughed: "I thought I was smooth."

"Not so much. I'm not letting you do that."

"It's already done."

Jeff laughed, but John gave him a serious look. "Are you free today?" Jeff blushed at the sudden question. "Actually, I am." John smiled again.

**__**

In a Hotel on the other side of town…

Two men sat in front of a table. A man sat on the other side of them smoking a cigar.

"He got away?"

"He had help. This guy. John Cena…"

The man took a long drag of his cigar and blew it at the men. "Then take care of him. I paid for Jeff Hardy. I want Jeff Hardy…"


	3. A visit

Changing Seasons, Changing Lives

_Summary: __**John Cena wanted something new, but when he saves Jeff Hardy from being kidnapped, he may have gotten more excitement then he bargained for…**_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own WWE or anything connected with it… Wish I did…_

_**Chapter: **__Three_

_Jeff and John left Shoney's in a happy silence. Jeff walked to the driver's side of Matt's Lamborghini. John stood beside him. "To be honest, I haven't been here much, so I don't know many fun things to do." Jeff laughed at him. So simple. Jeff opened his phone. He had a text from Kimo: Don't do anything I wouldn't do…_ Jeff shook his head and closed his phone without replying.

John's eyes widened as an idea came to his head, but then it faded. Jeff noticed but didn't ask. John looked over at Jeff who was studying the ground. John shuttered as the wind pushed Jeff's violet hair back. His emerald eyes were amazing to John. He could get lost in them, in fact, he did. Jeff even looked up at John, catching him staring. When Jeff smiled, John quickly looked away. He needed to break this silence.

"How is Matt?"

Jeff noticed the small talk and grinned. "He's fine. I'm sure he's tried. He slept half the night in a wooden chair." John winced at the thought.

"Why would he do that?"

"So I could sleep better in the bed."

"Good brother."

"He really is."

Once again, John found himself lost, but now, Jeff joined him. They stared for a bit, but then Jeff shook his head and actually turned away from him. Jeff rolled his eyes at himself. He was acting immature. Chasing a fantasy. John lightly touched his shoulder, causing him to turn around.

"Do you want to spend more time with me? Or do you want to go back to your hotel?"

Jeff turned to him. He smiled playfully at him. He pointed to John's car. "Follow me." John smiled as Jeff dipped into the Lambo. John shook his head and walked over to his car and climbed in. He laughed a bit. Jeff Hardy certainly was an enigma. He followed Jeff to a public parking lot close to his hotel. John parked beside him and got out. Jeff smiled at him, and leaned against his car.

"Well, this place is a blast."

Jeff laughed. "We're not staying here. We're walking through the city. I like walking." Jeff looked at the ground as he admitted his liking for city strolls. John smiled sweetly at him. "Sounds fun. I like conversation."

And conversation is what they had. They talked about wrestling, they talked about friends, but the conversation changed a bit when they started to talk about love.

"I stopped looking a while ago." Jeff admitted, "I got hurt too many times."

"Sounds like me. Relationships were too difficult with my career. Plus, I couldn't decide if they people who approached me were interested in me or John Cena."

Jeff laughed. "Well, aren't you John Cena?"

"I am." He chuckled, "I was scared they were interested in the image of John Cena. Not my inner personality. Does that sound crazy?"

Jeff smiled. "Not at all. In fact, sounds rather familiar." John felt good that someone understood. Actually, John noticed that Jeff understood a lot of things. He thought differently than anyone he'd ever met. Finally, the two arrived at a small park. There was a nature trail so they walked down it. It was a lot more open than the trail Jeff was attacked in. It certainly felt safer.

"You know something…" Jeff's voice sounded serious and low, "You certainly are a character. Not like most people."

John looked up at the colorful trees. "I was thinking the same about you." They continued in silence. Suddenly, Jeff stopped. He turned to John and stepped close to him. Despite what Jeff expected, John didn't back away or act nervous at all. Jeff took a deep breath.

"Matt didn't tell me to come by myself."

"I figured as much."

"With all of them here, I wouldn't be able to thank you … properly…" Jeff closed his eyes and pushed his lips to John's. At first, John was shocked, but he quickly melted into him. He wrapped his arms around Jeff's waist and pulled him close. John deepened the kiss. They stood on the trail completely emerged in each other. Finally, Jeff broke the kiss, but John didn't move his hands.

"I'm sorry" Jeff said. John moved Jeff's hair away from his eyes. Suddenly Jeff's phone vibrated in his pocket. John released him and Jeff pulled the phone out. "It's Matt," he said. He opened the phone and John stood patiently.

"Hey brother."

"Hey. Where are you?"

Jeff looked at John. He had an "Of course" type look on his face. "I'm in the park by the hotel, why?"

"Can we meet you there? Kimo is…" There was a lot of fumbling and arguing on the line and Jeff couldn't help but laugh. Finally, the battle ended. "Hey Jeff." Kimo yelled on the phone, "We are coming to meet you weather you like it or not. Did you forget you promised to go to the aquarium with Shannon and I today?" Jeff's eyes widened.

"Oh man Kimo! I totally forgot. Yeah, come meet me. I'll see you soon." He closed the phone and looked at John. "I'm sorry… I…" Jeff was cut off by John's lips capturing his. Jeff deepened the kiss, but quickly backed away. "We better go to the front." John nodded.

"So Kimo and Shannon… Are they..?"

Jeff nodded. "Almost a year now. They really care about each other." John smiled. "I could tell they were together. They way they looked at each other. I could see it in their eyes."

"John…" Jeff stopped him before they left the trail, "I had a lot of fun. I want to spend more time with you." John took Jeff's hand and squeezed it gently.

"Tonight… Dinner…"

Jeff smiled at him. "I'll meet you at this park at… let's say… 8?"

John nodded. They made it to the front of the park, and John sighed. "I suppose I'll go. Thank you for a great time." He leaned down and gave him another small kiss, "I'll see you at 8." And with that, he was gone. Jeff stood there with a smile plastered on his face.

It wasn't long until Kimo, Matt, and Shannon pulled up. "Hey Jeffery!" Shannon yelled out of the Hummer's back window. Jeff smiled. Kimo was sitting beside Shannon in the back and the front had been left open for Jeff. He climbed in. Matt held his hand out. Jeff sighed and hand his brother his keys.

"Did you have fun?" Kimo asked suggestively. Jeff rolled his eyes. "I did." He answered. The two in the back giggled. Matt laughed, more at them than Jeff. "So… Any action?" Shannon playfully pushed Jeff's shoulders.

"Shannon!"

"Leave him alone, you two." Matt scolded. The two turned their attention to one another, and completely forgot the Hardys in the front. Jeff was relieved. He would eventually tell them a few things, but not that soon. He always appreciated Matt's lack of questions, although he knew his brother had thousands. Eventually, he would answer all of them, just not now.

_**Meanwhile… **_

John Cena pulled into his hotel parking lot. He pulled the keys out of the ignition, but he didn't exit the car right away. He just sat and thought. He could still taste Jeff on his lips and it made him want to rush back to him. He finally walked back to his room. He collapsed on the bed. He didn't feel like doing anything but think about Jeff. He shook his head at himself. One kiss was all it took. He smiled. He looked down at his watch. It read 1:30. He sighed. What was he supposed to do until 8? He stood and grabbed his swimming trunks out of his bag. After he changed, he grabbed a towel and headed down to the pool.

He tanned for a bit before swimming, but when he finally stood to jump in the pool, he saw the black mustang from the night before pulled into the parking lot. He quickly ducked down, and watched the car circle the lot and finally park near his room.

"Shit…" John watched as three huge men walked up to his room door. They knocked a few times. When John didn't answer, they talked to each other, and swiped a card. The door opened right up and they filed in, closing the door behind them. John watched the door closely. He wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't drive away because his keys were in the room. He looked around for some sort of plan. He saw his cell phone sitting by his tanning chair. He ran over and picked it up.

John didn't want to call Matt. He didn't want Jeff anywhere near the men. He frantically searched his contacts, but before he found someone, the men walked out of the room. John sunk down into the chair as they drove away. He watched them roll away until they were completely out of sight. He looked up at his door and sighed.

He slowly approached the door. He swiped his card and watched the green flashing light grant him entry. He threw the door open and his jaw dropped. His room had been trashed. His things were thrown all over the room, and written on the wall in black, dripping ink was: _Stay Away… _He looked around the room and made his way to the bathroom. In this room, there was red writing on the shower: _He will be mine…_

John was done. He quickly changed his clothes, grabbed his keys and drove away. He had no idea where he was going, but as long as he was far away from the hotel, he really didn't care.

_**At the aquarium…**_

Jeff was distracted throughout the whole trip with the thought of John. He was having a great time with his friends, but he couldn't get his face out of his mind.

Matt noticed his brother's detached mood, but said nothing to him. Shannon and Kimo were a little too wrapped up in all the marine creatures to notice Jeff's mind was somewhere else. Jeff walked over to Matt while Shannon and Kimo played around in the kid portion of the "Discovery Center."

"How was breakfast?" Matt finally asked. Jeff smiled at his brother. He held himself back for awhile.

"Fun. I'm going to dinner with him at 8."

"Oh really?" Matt nudged his brother, "So soon?"

Jeff rolled his eyes.

"He's different, Matt. I don't know how else to explain it."

"I don't know, Brother…" Matt looked at the ground, "Are you sure all of this isn't because of what happened? Are you sure you like him or are still looking at him as your hero?"

"Matt, you don't understand. Partly, you're right, but really, you're wrong." Jeff laughed, "That doesn't make any sense does it?"

"Not at all, but I think I get what you mean…" Suddenly, Matt's phone rings in his pocket. He pulls it out and Jeff looks over to see the number. His heart jumps when he sees 'John Cena' on the screen. Matt, however, looked worried and serious. He flipped open the phone. "John?"

"Matt, is Jeff still with you?"

"Yeah. We're still at the aquarium. Do you need to talk to him?"

"Yes, I do. It's important."

Matt handed the phone out to Jeff who took it with a deep breath. He closed his eyes and placed the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Jeff…They're back."

Jeff's eyes widened and almost dropped the phone. "Wh-What?"

"They found my hotel room. They trashed it. Don't go back to your hotel. I'm going to meet you at the aquarium."

"O-Ok. See you then." Jeff quickly closed the phone. Matt looked at him confused. "Jeff? What was it?"

Jeff shook his head and looked at his brother. "They trashed John's hotel room. He said he is meeting us here." Matt's jaw dropped, but he quickly got serious and stood. Jeff didn't think he wanted to stand. "That's it.." Matt said, "We can't stay here." He held his hand out to his brother, and helped him up.

"Let's go home. Back to North Carolina. We aren't staying in this city." Jeff found Matt's idea a stroke of genius and ran with him to get Shannon and Kimo.

They walked out of the aquarium just as John was walking up the steps. Jeff ran to him. "Are you ok?" He asked quickly. John wanted to pull him close and kiss him, but he held himself back. "I'm fine, Jeff." Jeff hugged him tightly and John had a clear view of Matt, Kimo, and Shannon. Matt politely looked away but Kimo and Shannon were fighting back giggles. Jeff pulled back and looked at John seriously.

"We can't stay here…"

"I know, but where?"

"Home. Matt has a large house in North Carolina. Come with me…"

John shook his head. "I have to get my things from the hotel. I left without anything."

"Well, we can.."

"No." John looked deep into Jeff's green eyes, "You can't go back there, or to your hotel."

"You can't go alone…" With that, Kimo, Shannon, and Matt stepped up. "We'll all go together. To both hotels." Kimo said, "Strength in numbers, right?" Shannon nodded. Jeff, John, and Matt exchanged glances, but none could say that Kimo was wrong or come up with a better plan. They rushed down to Hummer. John had parked near them. Matt, Kimo, and Shannon rode in the Hummer, but John and Jeff filed into John's little sports car. Jeff rolled down his window and called out to Matt: "John's hotel first. Follow us." Matt nodded as they pulled out of the parking lot.

__

**At John's hotel…**

John pulled slowly into a parking space without ever taking his eyes off the door. They slowly got out of the car as the others walked up behind them.

"Well, here goes nothing…" John walked up to the door and swiped the card. He slowly opened the door and saw they room exactly how he'd left it. They did a quick run through of the room, but it was empty. Jeff looked around and his eyes froze on the black writing on the wall. _Stay Away._ He would have passed out had Shannon not touched his shoulder gently.

"You ok?" He asked. Jeff nodded, and avoided looking back up the wall. John had already started throwing his things in a bag. Jeff wondered deeper into the room until he made it to the bathroom. He pulled the curtain back to be sure John wouldn't leave anything. His eyes widened and he gasped when he saw the red words on the tile wall. _He will be mine.._ Jeff tried to step back, but his vision blurred and he fell into darkness.

Jeff hit the ground with a thud. "Jeff!" Shannon was to him first. He quickly dropped to his knees and pulled his head into his lap. John rushed over and looked into the bathroom. He was quickly aware of what had caused Jeff's unconsciousness. Matt looked, but quickly turned his head. He looked up at John.

"You ready?"

"Very…"

He quickly scooped up the rest of his things in a backpack. He threw the bags into his car, as Kimo laid Jeff in the back of the Hummer. Shannon climbed in and calmly stroked Jeff's hair. John turned in his room key and checked out.


	4. A trade

_**Changing Seasons, Changing Lives**_

**Summary: **John Cena wanted something new, but when he saves Jeff Hardy from being kidnapped, he may have gotten more excitement then he bargained for…

**Disclaimer: **I do not own WWE or anything connected with it… Wish I did…

**Chapter: **Four

When Jeff finally came to, Shannon was staring at him.

"Jeffery Nero Hardy… Are you Awake?"

"I think so…" Shannon would have jumped up if he wasn't riding in the Hummer. "He's awake!" Matt turned as Shannon helped Jeff sit up.

"How are you feeling?" Matt asked. Jeff rubbed his head. "Fine…"

Shannon laughed a bit. Jeff looked at him confused, but then all of the memories of what had happened flooded into his mind. "John…!" Jeff looked around, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Where is…?"

"Chill, Jeffery…" Shannon said, "He's fine… He went to the venue to talk to the GM. He said he would meet us at the airport."

Jeff shook his head. He wished he was with him. He was worried. "Matt? What's John's number?" Matt handed him his phone and Jeff typed the number.

_**With John…**_

John opened his phone. _Hey. It's Jeff. I'm just letting you know that I'm ok. _John smiled at the phone. He quickly typed a reply before walking into the venue. He walked into the General Manager's office, but no one was there.

"Hmm…" John walked out and headed toward the ring. Perhaps he was doing something in there. John opened the door, and was shocked to see that the GM was in there, but he was talking to suited men.

"John Cena! Just the man I wanted to see…" the GM announced. The men all turned quickly, and John ran back down the hallway towards the exit. He didn't get far from the door before three of the men busted through it and followed close behind him. He threw the main door open and rushed towards his car, but two other men were standing in front of it. John stopped. He was now surrounded the dark men.

"Where is Jeff Hardy?" One of them said. John looked around for an escape, but he saw no way out. They stepped closer to him. "I'll ask once more," the man said, "Where is Jeff Hardy?" John looked around again as the men stepped closer and closer. John was about to run as he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and plunged into darkness.

_**In the Hummer…**_

Jeff looked down at his phone. He frowned when he saw that he still had no reply from John. He sighed and closed it. He watched the trees pass by. All of the colors of fall turned into a blur thanks to the speed and it was sort of making his head hurt. He turned his attention back to his phone and smiled when a reply finally came through. He flipped open his phone and quickly opened the message. _Jeff Hardy… We have John Cena… Come back to the hotel by 6.… _Jeff dropped his phone. Shannon picked it up and his mouth dropped open.

"Turn around." Jeff demanded.

"What?" Matt said.

"Turn around!" Jeff yelled. Instead, Kimo just pulled over. "Turn around?" Matt said, "What the hell are you talking about, Jeff? We can't turn around. Are you crazy?" Shannon handed Matt the phone. He read the text and gave it to Kimo.

"Jeff…" He said quietly, "You can't be serious."

"You guys don't have to come back… I'm just…"

"Gonna give yourself to these guys for someone you barely know?" Kimo wasn't very happy. "Baby!" Shannon yelled at his boyfriend.

"Kimo's right, Shannon. Jeff, who knows what these guys are going to do to you."

"Who knows what they're going to do to John! Matt, I'm not more important than him! I'm going back for him. Weather any of you like it or not!" Jeff threw the door open and started walking down the road.

"Jeff!" Shannon got out and ran to him. "Jeff, wait. Think about this… Please…" Kimo and Matt pulled up beside the two in the Hummer. "Get back in the car, Shannon." Jeff didn't sound like himself. Shannon ran in front of him causing him to stop. "Jeff just listen to me… We're not going to leave him… You can't just…"

"Shannon, stop!" Jeff yelled. Shannon winced at his tone.

"Hey!" Kimo pulled the Hummer in front of Jeff. "Don't talk to him like that! He's trying to help you…"

"Yeah, but I'm not the one who needs help. John is!"

"Fine!" Matt yelled at his brother. "Go back! Give yourself to those men and let whatever happen to you, just happen! Shannon get back in the car."

Shannon looked at Jeff and then back to Matt and Kimo in the Hummer. "At least I care about him! You're just going to leave him to those men!?" Shannon closed his eyes as they continued arguing.

"Shannon, just get in the car. I take it Jeff doesn't want our help."

"Yeah, go ahead Shannon. I'll let you know if John is alive when I get back!"

Shannon threw his hands down. "Stop it! Just stop!" He dashed into the woods. The three remaining exchanged glances and Jeff ran after him. Kimo and Matt jumped out of the Hummer and followed them.

Shannon beat the limbs away from his face. He couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want to see his friends fighting. He wanted everything to go back to normal. Forget the creepy men! Forget John Cena! Forget all this ever happened! He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes and he heard Jeff catching up with him. He quickened his pace and turned quickly to the right.

Jeff didn't notice Shannon's sudden turn and ran right past him. Matt and Kimo were just following Jeff. Shannon just ran and ran. He didn't want to see Matt or Jeff. He wasn't really sure how to feel about Kimo. He loved him so much, but how could he say such things to Jeff? How could he be so inconsiderate about how Jeff felt for John? He finally broke into a clearing. He quickly noticed it was the park near the hotel. This gave Shannon a great idea…

John struggled with the handcuffs on his wrists. He was sitting in a wooden chair in Jeff and Matt's hotel room. The suited men just paced the room. "Hey!" One of them yelled from the window, "He's here! Look, there!" The other four ran over and looked out the window. There Jeff was, walking up to the door. He had his hood up so none of the men could see his face. They opened the door and two of the men stepped out. John couldn't hear or see anything that was going on.

"Welcome, Jeff Hardy." One of the men said.

Jeff just stood looking at the ground. "Release John." He said sharply. The men looked at each other. They whispered amongst themselves and then one of them walked into the room, and led John outside the room. The handcuffs were still on his wrists.

"Come closer. When you step in the room, we will release him."

Jeff slowly walked up. The man unlocked the handcuffs as the other man grabbed Jeff and ripped him into the room. The first man pushed John to the ground and dashed back into the room.

"No!" John ran to the door and punched it several times. He sank to the ground in front of the door, almost hysterical.

"What the fuck?" He heard the men yell. He heard a small commotion in the room. He pressed his ear to the door, desperately trying to hear what was happening, but he heard nothing but rustling every now and then. He needed help. He ran to the front office.

"Can I use your phone?" The woman at the desk gave him a confused look, but handed him the phone. He quickly dialed Matt's number.

Jeff, Kimo and Matt stood in a small clearing in the woods. They had completely lost Shannon, but he had succeeded in stopping their argument. Now, they were trying to figure out where Shannon could have gone. Then Matt pulled out his phone.

"Hello?"

"Matt! It's John! I need your help… It's Jeff!"

"Jeff? What do you mean?"

Jeff tried to snatch the phone but Matt skillfully avoided him. "Those men have him! He just traded himself for me. I need you to come to the hotel…"

Matt dropped the phone. "Oh my god… He didn't…"

Jeff grabbed the phone. "John?"

"Jeff? How? I just saw you. The men…"

"Oh my god… Shannon!"


	5. Blame

_**Changing Seasons, Changing Lives**_

**Summary: **John Cena wanted something new, but when he saves Jeff Hardy from being kidnapped, he may have gotten more excitement then he bargained for…

**Disclaimer: **I do not own WWE or anything connected with it… Wish I did…

**Chapter: **Five

John dropped the phone and sprinted back to the hotel room door. He stopped suddenly and felt his heart sink in his chest. The door was open and the three vehicles that had been resting outside the door, were gone. He sped up again and busted into the room. The room was in perfect order, all except for the bed. John quickly looked away and ran to the bathroom. He opened the door, but the room looked like it hadn't been touched.

John walked out of the door and, once again, sank to the ground. He sat there until the Hummer sped into the parking lot. Kimo was the first one out, running right past John into the room. Jeff rushed to John, who didn't waste anytime pulling him into his arms and holding him tight. Matt walked past them into the room to check on Kimo.

Jeff broke the hug and looked into John's eyes. "Are you ok?" he asked. John nodded and pressed his forehead to Jeff's. They sat, just pleased with being near each other. Jeff quickly jumped up when he heard Kimo yell and a loud crash came from the room. He left John behind him and rushed in the room.

Matt was getting up and Kimo pushed pasted Jeff, carrying Shannon's hoodie his in hands. "What happened?" Matt asked Jeff. Matt shook his head. "He found Shannon's hoodie. I tried to take it from him, and he pushed me into the wall." Jeff ran after Kimo. He was a bit nervous about touching his shoulder, but he and Matt had a different type of relationship. Just as Jeff assumed, Kimo whipped around, but didn't touch him. Jeff noticed a few tears coming from his blue eyes. He hugged him tightly and Kimo let out his frustration in tears.

John walked over to Matt as Jeff tried to calm him down. "I have to talk to you…" Matt said to John firmly, but he didn't blame him. John felt horrible. He should have noticed that it wasn't Jeff. He was shorter anyway. "First off…" Matt started. John was ready for anything. "I don't blame you for what happened. Neither does Jeff, and even if Kimo acts like he does, he is just upset." He paused to sigh, "Really upset."

John let out the breath he was holding. "Now, secondly, What exactly are your feelings for my brother?" John's eyes widened. He wasn't expecting that, at all. "Well…" John Cena said, "I know things were kind of fast, and really, I wasn't trying for that. I just… He gives me a different feeling than anyone I've ever met. He doesn't think like everybody else. I think about him, too much, I guess, but the thing is I do, and I like it. I'm willing to slow down." He laughed, "But I'm not willing to give up."

This actually made Matt smile. _Is this dude for real? _"He really likes you." Matt said finally, "I can tell." John and Matt exchanged smiles, but they quickly faded when they heard Jeff yell.

"Kimo! Stop!" They looked up and Kimo was headed right for them, like a charging bull. He barreled into John causing him to fall to the ground. Matt ran and stepped in front of him. "Kimo, what the hell?" Kimo was hysterical. His eyes were full of tears and he was breathing heavily.

"Where is he?" He demanded at John. John stood and gave him a confused look. Jeff ran over and stood in front of John. "Don't listen to him." Jeff said quickly, "He's not himself."

"I'm fine…" Kimo said, creepily calm. Jeff turned to him, but stayed close to John. Matt, by Kimo, ready for whatever was about to happen. Kimo took a deep breath. "I just…" forming the words seemed to be so hard for him, "Want… my boyfriend. And if it wasn't for you…" He pointed at John causing both the Hardy's to jump a bit. "He would be here…"

Jeff was standing, waiting to protect John. At the same time, John was prepared to throw Jeff to the side if something did go down. Matt was the only one rather unprepared. Kimo just stood now, letting his words sink into John's already rattled mind. Then, Matt noticed Kimo shift. He only had time to do one thing. He reached out and gripped his brother's wrist, and in a second, Jeff was ripped away from the two as Kimo jumped forward. John dodged him expertly, causing Kimo to fall on his stomach. Frustrated, Kimo quickly jumped up and swung at John, who grabbed his arms and twisted it behind his back. He pulled him close to his body, Kimo yelling in pain.

"Listen!" John said in Kimo's ear, "If I could go back and put myself in his place, I would. If I could, but I can't. Blaming and fighting me will not help your boyfriend. Now, get up and be civil, so we can get to work. Don't do it for me, do it for Matt and Jeff, or better yet… do it for Shannon."

John let Kimo go. He fell to his knee and Matt ran over to him. Jeff just stood, stunned. John walked close to him, and Jeff couldn't help it. He jumped forward and pressed his lips to John's. It was short kiss, and John was confused. He had expected Jeff to be furious at him. "That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen." Jeff said finally, and John smiled. "Now, if it could have been done without hurting him, it would have been better, but still fantastic."

Kimo stood and walked over to them, followed closely by Matt. There was a terrifying silence for a moment, but then Kimo finally broke: "Where do we start?"

_**Meanwhile…**_

Shannon's eyes fluttered open. Where ever he was, it was dark. When his eyes adjusted, he saw that he was in a small bedroom. He tried to sit up, but noticed a pair of handcuffs holding one of his arms to the bed. His other arm was free and he rubbed his head. He was scared, but he wouldn't have admitted it.

He looked around for something he could pick the handcuffs with. Thank God for crazy teen years. However, he saw nothing. He leaned back. _What have I gotten myself into? _He jumped when the door creaked open. The man who walked through was tall and handsome with red hair. He walked over to Shannon and held out a 7up. Shannon was confused, that was his favorite drink. The man noticed.

"We did research. We're not amateurs." Shannon was hesitant at first, but finally took the drink. "You'll be meeting with Mr. X in a bit. Obviously, we are protecting his identity." Shannon took a drink of the 7up without taking his eyes off the man.

"What is he meeting with me for?"

"To see if your worth the same amount of money we spent of Jeff Hardy."

"What?"

"Quiet. You'll see in a bit. If you need anything, just pick up the phone beside you and someone will come to assist you." The man bowed a bit and walked out of the room. Shannon shook his head. This was certainly odd. What kind of company was this guy running?

He thought about Kimo. He felt tears coming up in his eyes so he shook his head and stared at the ceiling to keep from letting them flow. He jumped when the door opened again. This time the man didn't look as menacing. He had a kind look about him. He was holding a key.

"Hello Shannon." He said calmly, "Are you ready to go?"

"Do I have a choice?" The man laughed and started unlocking his handcuffs. "I suppose not. I do apologize for the inconvenience of that. Mr. X will certainly treat you as well as you deserve."

"What does that mean?" He pulled his arm away the man, "I want to know what's going on!"

The man gently took Shannon's wrist and lead him out the door. "Mr. X will explain everything. I would, but I am not permitted to give away such information." Shannon shrugged. Of all the evil organization to get kidnapped by! He followed the man down a rather dark hallway until they came upon a giant cherry wood door. "Whoa." Shannon said. The man knocked three solid times on the door and it slowly pulled open.

There was only one man in the room. He was an older man with grey hair and his face was ripe with age. The man lead Shannon up to the desk the old man was sitting at. "Your not Jeff Hardy." The old man said simply as he stood. Shannon tensed up as the man circled him. "But my my…" He said as he let out a puff of smoke from his cigar. "You certainly are a looker, aren't you?"

Shannon didn't look at him. Mr. X noticed his frightened demeanor. He pointed the man to the door. "Excuse us." He said to him. Shannon's eyes followed him, silently pleading him not to go, but he did. Shannon looked up at Mr. X. He had a thoughtful look on his face. Their eyes made contact for just a second before Shannon quickly averted.

"You're scared."

"Shouldn't I be?"

The old man laughed. "Not at all." He continued circling Shannon. "You see. I do not run a bad company. In fact, I think you would be the perfect … product."

"Product?"

Mr. X chuckled. He sat back down at his desk and pulled out a small remote. He pressed a button and the lights dimmed and a large screen lowered behind him. He twirled in his chair to face it and pressed a few more buttons. Shannon's jaw dropped when the screen illuminated. It was website. There were several pictures of men standing, sitting and laying in rather provocative positions. There were links that could be clicked on under each of the pictures. It read: Order Now.

Shannon's vision blurred. _How Could…. Why….? _He tried to step back, but lost his balance and fell to the ground, slipping into unconsciousness.


	6. Revealed

_**Changing Seasons, Changing Lives**_

**Summary: **John Cena wanted something new, but when he saves Jeff Hardy from being kidnapped, he may have gotten more excitement then he bargained for…

**Disclaimer: **I do not own WWE or anything connected with it… Wish I did…

**Chapter: **Six

John paced the hotel room, while Matt sat on the couch. Jeff had taken Kimo out of the room to get some food to try to keep his mind off of the situation.

"Well…" Matt said, leaning back into the couch, "What's the plan?"

"I don't know man…" John shook his head. He was starting to cause a headache with all of his thinking. He sat beside Matt. John noticed a sad look on his face as he stared down at his phone.

"What's wrong?" He asked

Matt almost jumped. He didn't notice his sad expression was so readable. He sighed and sat his phone on the arm of the couch. "I just…" He shook his head, "Evan has been upset lately because I haven't been with him. I don't want him to be hurt, but I can't just leave this situation, and I certainly don't want to drag him into it." John nodded. He felt sorry for Matt. He had only been interested in Jeff for a bit, but he couldn't imagine being away from him for so long.

"When are you supposed to see him again?"

"Well…" Matt thought, "If none of this had happened, we were supposed to go to the next venue in Florida. He was supposed to be on that show. We have a hotel room set up together, but I don't think that is gonna happen."

John looked at the ground. He changed subjects in his mind back to the situation at hand. He racked his brain as to what could be done for Shannon and Jeff. He leaned back and sighed.

"It would be different if we could talk to them. We could make a setup." He shook his head. Matt had the same helpless look as John when Kimo and Jeff walked through the door. Kimo was laughing at something Jeff had said, so John dropped his guard and walked over, greeting Jeff with a small kiss on the cheek.

Jeff grinned at him, and Kimo started into the bag of biscuits they had brought with them. Matt walked over and John noticed his sad mood had not gone away. Jeff obviously was aware of this, but unlike John, he didn't need to ask. He smiled at his brother who returned it half-heartedly. Jeff sighed. He took his brother's hand and led him to the bedroom to talk to him. Leaving Kimo and John standing alone.

John was tense. He was actually fond of Kimo, but he was pretty sure the feelings were not mutual. "Do you like bacon, egg, and cheese?" Kimo asked suddenly.

John nodded: "Yeah, actually." Kimo handed him a biscuit, wrapped in thin paper. John grinned.

"Shannon won't eat it." He said, "Only sausage and biscuit for him." Kimo smiled for the first time since Shannon had been taken. This made John happy. "Thanks." John said, motioning to the food. Kimo nodded in response.

Finally, Jeff ran out. He was whispering as he spoke. "They called Matt. He's talking to them now. Come on." Kimo and John followed him back into the bedroom. Matt was pacing. He quickly switched on the speaker phone.

"We are willing to trade Shannon Moore for Jeff Hardy, however we will also keep him as a replacement. Those are your options. We will call back at 6 P.M. for your answer. Thank you."

Before Matt could utter a reply, the call was ended. He looked up at the three. "Willing to keep him? A replacement?" Kimo said, thinking hard. "What does that mean?" Jeff shook his head and took the phone from his brother, examining the phone number that called. He sat in the computer chair and spun it around a few times. Suddenly. He stopped and quickly turned the computer on.

"What are you thinking?" John bent down beside Jeff.

"I don't know if it will work, but I'm going to type this number into a search engine and see what comes up, maybe that will give us some clues."

John nodded, and Jeff typed in the number on the search bar. Kimo and Matt crowded around. They were all surprised when the search actually yielded results.

"Call to order?" Jeff read aloud, clicking on the first result. Jeff gasped and looked away when the site loaded. Kimo and John just stared, but turned around. The same site Shannon had seen was now in front of the four men's eyes. Jeff stood and walked out of the room, quickly, John followed him.

"Jeff…" John had to jog to catch him, "Jeff…"

"Stop!" Jeff whipped around and knocked John's arms away. John noticed tears streaming down his face. "Jeff…" John gently pulled him close, Jeff was tense at first but then melted into John's embrace. He quickly dried his tears and looked at John. "I'm sorry…" he said quickly. John held him close and stroked his hair.

Kimo and Matt walked out of the room in silence. Kimo sat down at stared forward at the black TV screen. Jeff quickly ran over to him. "Kimo?" Kimo stared forward. Jeff looked at him with a worried expression. He gently pulled his face to look at him. He saw the tears welling up in his eyes. Jeff quickly held him and he let out his tears.

"Shannon…" He sobbed. He took a breath and looked at the ceiling to keep the tears from running. "That's what they're doing to him? That's what they wanted to do to you? Turn you into a whore?"

"Kimo…" Jeff watched as Kimo shook his head.

"I was supposed to protect him… I promised him I would never let anything happen to him…" Kimo started to sob again, and Jeff pulled him close. He look up at Matt, who was still trying to get rid of the image of the site in his mind. Matt jumped as his phone rang in his hand. He opened it and closed it. Jeff gave him a look.

"Who was that?"

"Evan."

"Why didn't you talk to him?"

"I just…" Matt stopped to check his phone as it rang again. He stood and walked out of the room, opening the phone as he went.

"Hello?"

"Hey!" Evan sounded so happy to hear Matt's voice and it made him melt.

"Hey Baby…."

"I guess my phone dropped the call. I just tried."

"No, Baby. That was me."

Evan was silent for a moment. "Matt, are you ok? You sound… stressed."

Matt closed his eyes, he was hoping Evan wouldn't notice. He sighed. "A lot's been happening…"

"Like what? … Are you ok?"

Matt looked out the open bedroom door at Jeff, Kimo, and John. He sighed again . "It's too much to talk about right now, Baby. I'm fine. I'll have to call you later." He paused and closed his eyes. "I love you." He quickly flipped his phone closed and took a deep breath. He wanted to talk to Evan, more than anything, but he wasn't going to risk bringing him in to the situation.

Jeff looked up at him. He saw the look on his brother's face, and decided it was something to talk about later. Kimo had upset himself to the point of sleep and John was sitting on the arm of the chair, looking down at Jeff.

Jeff gently laid Kimo's head on a pillow and stood. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. They three exchanges glance, but none could think of anything to say to make it better. Jeff looked down and Kimo and shook his head.


	7. Almost

_Changing Seasons, Changing Lives_

Summary: **John Cena wanted something new, but when he saves Jeff Hardy from being kidnapped, he may have gotten more excitement then he bargained for…**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own WWE or anything connected with it… Wish I did…

**Chapter: **Seven

Shannon stirred. He found himself back in the bedroom from before. He was too frustrated to get up. He was starting to regret his decision. Not saving Jeff or John, he would do that over any day. However, he missed Kimo, and he was scared. He looked over at the side table to see another 7up sitting there. He slowly pushed it off the table. The bottle landed with a thud and rolled under that table.

He sat up and got out of the bed. He saw only two doors in the room. He tried the one on the far right wall. It was locked, of course. He walked to the other one on the opposite side from the bed. It opened, revealing a bathroom. He shivered. He couldn't get that site out of his mind. He certainly wasn't about to take a shower there.

The other door creaked open. Another new man walked in. He was tired of all these different people. He wanted to see some familiar faces. The man smiled at him. Unlike the others, he had a soft face and a genuine smile.

"Hey Shannon" he said.

"Forgive me if I'm not that happy to see you."

The man laughed and sat on the bed. He patted the bed beside him for Shannon to sit. Shannon crossed his arms and leaned on the door frame of the bathroom. The man shrugged. "Fair enough, I guess." He got comfortable on the side of the bed.

"I'm not supposed to be in here. Don't tell anyone you talked to me or know who I am. My name is Derrick. I work for Mr. X, or at least, that's what he thinks. Actually, I'm a private investigator. My client's brother was taken by these men. Unfortunately, he is no longer living, thanks to the brutality these men put him through. I was just about to relieve my duty's until I saw them bring you here. I looked you up and turns out you're a replacement for someone named Jeff Hardy. Do you know anyone by that name?"

Shannon shook his head. Derrick nodded. "I suspected as much. They've set up a trade with Matt Hardy. You for Jeff. Of course, I'm not going to let that happen…"

_**Meanwhile…**_

John walked into the bedroom and sat on the bed. He was tired of thinking. They still hadn't come up with a plan to get Shannon back without having to give Jeff to those men. He was actually rather frustrated with it all. He almost completely forgot the feeling when Jeff walked in. He closed the door behind him, and John took a breath.

"You ok?" Jeff asked, grabbing both of his hands.

"I'm fine." John said, slowly wrapping his arms around Jeff's waist. "Are you sure?" Jeff asked as their faces creped closer to each other.

"I am now, anyway." John pressed his lips to Jeff's. Jeff parted them, allowing John's tongue to invade his mouth, in a passionate kiss. Jeff gripped his shoulders as John slid his hands into the back of Jeff's shirt, rubbing his back. John lifted Jeff up causing him to gasp a bit. John smiled and kissed him again. He laid him on the bed and climbed on top of him.

He started another kiss as he moved his hand over Jeff's abs. Jeff let out a small moan into John's lips. Jeff grabbed the end of his lover's shirt and ripped it off of him. He threw the shirt to the side and sat up so John could rid him of his shirt. John didn't, however. He kissed Jeff lightly and looked into his eyes.

"Jeff…" he whispered. Their mouths were so close that Jeff felt the movements of John's words. "Are you sure about this? This isn't exactly the most romantic setting…" Jeff kissed him lightly. "I don't care, John."

John grinned and was about to continue his assault on the rainbow haired warrior, when there was a knock at the door. "Jeff! John! What are you guys doing?" Kimo's voice was muffled through the giant wooden door.

"Nothing." Jeff replied.

"Yeah right! I know you to well, Jeff Hardy!"

Jeff fell back onto the bed and John couldn't help but smile at him. Jeff squirmed out from under his lover. "We'll finish this later." He said quietly. John nodded as Jeff walked out to prove to Kimo nothing was going on. John sighed. He felt his cock push against his jeans and he wished Jeff would come back. The way he kissed. The way he laughed, smiled, talked. Hell, everything he did was amazing to John.

He calmed himself down and walked out of the room. Jeff was trying hard to hold in his laughter as Kimo scolded him about what had just happened. Matt was behind Kimo sitting at the bar in the kitchen, staring down at his phone. John sat on the couch, and Jeff joined him. They kissed lightly.

_**With Shannon…**_

He was nervous. The plan Derrick had come up with seemed a little reckless to Shannon. They were just going to try to leave in the middle of the night. Derrick was supposed to return one more time before their leave. He was supposed to bring a phone so Shannon could talk to Kimo. Shannon prayed he would be able to. He wanted to hear him voice more than anything.

He had been told by some old guy that Mr. X wasn't in today. In other words, he would be stuck in that room all day. That didn't bother him too much. He looked over at the clock. There was so much time until Derrick was going to try to help him escape. He sighed and leaned on the headboard of the bed.

He jumped when the door opened and Derrick slipped in. "Hey…" He said with a smile on his face. "The plan's going great. I convinced the normal guy to let me take night shift. This is going to be a piece of cake." Despite the great news, Shannon only had on thing on his mind.

"Did you get a phone?"

Derrick smiled and handed him a slender cell phone from his pocket. "I have to go though. Don't let them catch you with this." Shannon smiled and actually hugged the private I. "Thanks." He said. Derrick smiled, and Shannon could have swore he saw a blush come across his face before he rushed out. Shannon was so excited. He flipped the phone open quickly and dialed a number.

* * *

Kimo looked down at his ringing phone and frowned. "What's wrong?" Jeff asked.

"I don't know this number."

"Just answer it." John said. They all leaned in as Kimo slowly flipped open his phone.

"Hello?"

"Baby!" Shannon sat up quickly.

Kimo almost dropped the phone, but he quickly regained himself. "Sh-Shannon?"

"Yes, Baby. It's me."

Jeff noticed tears welling in Kimo's eyes. "…H-How?"

"Kimo, I love you…. I'm sorry." Shannon was crying now and Kimo was close behind.

"No, Baby… Hush. It's ok. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Shannon took a breath. "Listen to me, ok? Tonight at 2 in the morning. Be at the park in front of the hotel. There's this guy here who is going to try to help me get out of here."

"What? Shannon…"

"Just trust me…"

"Ok. I do… Are you sure your ok? Where are you?"

"Kimo, I'm ok, I promise. I don't know where I am."

Kimo took a deep breath and so did Shannon. "I can't talk for long, Baby." Shannon tried not to sound shaken, but Kimo knew.

"Can you keep the phone?"

"Yeah, I just can't get caught with it…"

"Ok. Call me often until tonight."

"I will. Kimo, I love you."

"I love you too Baby. Do you want to talk to anyone else?"

"Not yet. I'll talk to them next time. Tell them I love them. I'll talk to you soon ok?"

"See you later, Kid."

Kimo closed the phone a gripped it tightly. Jeff rushed over and hugged him as he busted into tears again. John and Matt exchanged glances. Kimo finally took a breath. "He told me to be at the park at 2 in the morning. He said someone was going to help him escape." The three looked at each other.

"Can we trust that?" John said. "How does Shannon know that guy isn't setting something up?"

"Shannon sounded positive."

"What other choice do we have?" Asked Matt.

John sighed and shook his head. Kimo put his phone is his pocket. Matt stood. "Well, that's the plan then, I guess. Hopefully, it'll work out…"


	8. Emotion

_**Changing Seasons, Changing Lives**_

_**Summary: **_John Cena wanted something new, but when he saves Jeff Hardy from being kidnapped, he may have gotten more excitement than he bargained for…

_**Disclaimer: **_I do not own WWE, or anything connected with it… Wish I did…

_**Chapter: **_8

As time dragged on, Shannon couldn't help but feel very nervous. He wanted to call Kimo again, and just lie there and talk to him, but he knew how reckless that was. He had the phone stashed under the mattress, almost in the middle of the bed. It was turned down, but Shannon prayed it would ring and hear his boyfriend's voice.

He took a deep breath and sprawled out on the bed. He stared at the ceiling, wishing so bad that he could just will time away…. But then again, he was terrified. This plan wasn't exactly fool-proof, and this Derrick guy seemed, not only young, but a little… reckless for a private investigator.

Shannon shook his head, tossing the thoughts aside. Besides, what choice did he have? It was try to escape with this guy (Eh), give Jeff to these men (Never), or stay (He'd rather not) None of them sounded very appealing, but he thought he would take the best of the three.

Just as he made his decision, the door creaked open. He jumped up, expecting to see Derrick, but another man walked in. He was tall with long, dark hair. Shannon sighed, frustrated, and fell back onto the bed. "I am so tired of this…" he said.

The man shut the door behind him and just kind of stood there. Shannon lifted up and looked at him confused. "Well..?"

"Well what?"

"What do you want?"

"I'm here to watch you."

"Watch me? What for? It's not like I'm going anywhere."

"Well, I'm here to make sure of that."

Shannon's heart sank. Had Derrick been discovered? What happened? Most importantly, what were they going to do now?

_**Meanwhile…**_

Time was passing far too slowly for Kimo, John, and the Hardys. They all sat in the hotel room, Kimo pacing back and forth nervously.

"Kimo, please…" Matt said, phone always in hand, "You're making me nervous."

"Well, I'm … fucking… I just…"

"It's ok, Kimo." Jeff said from his place on the bed, beside John. Kimo gave him a half-hearted smile, and sat down beside him. Jeff rubbed his shoulder a bit, wishing he could make him feel better.

Finally, Jeff stood. "I'm going for a walk." John and Kimo knew that really meant: "I'm gong for a cigarette."

"You're not going anywhere alone." Matt said, standing.

"No, he's not." John piped up, standing as well. Jeff smiled at his brother, and then at John. Matt, thankfully, sat back down. He gave John a serious look. "Don't you let him out of your sight."

John nodded, and followed Jeff out the door. As soon as the door closed, Jeff snatched his cigarettes out of his pocket. He lit one quickly, and took a long drag. "You know…" John said, trying to hide his smile, "You're going to have to tell Matt that you smoke. He'll kick my ass if he finds out I'm covering for you."

"I wouldn't let him."

John smiled and watched as Jeff smoked. He could see that Jeff was scared. Scared, and distant, but he was good at hiding it. John frowned at this. It's not a good thing to be able to hide emotions so well, that means he had to learn. He wanted to ask him about it. To dive into the man that was Jeff Hardy. To know everything… to help him.

"Why do you do that?" John finally said, almost without thinking.

"Do what?" Jeff gave John a sincerely confused look.

"Hide. Pretend… You bottle up your emotions, and keep them from the people that care…. Why?"

Jeff's eyes widened. How had he seen that? Looked right through him as if he were glass. Perhaps he wasn't as good at hiding it as he'd hoped. "I don't…" he lied, looking down.

John gently turned his face up, and looked deep into his eyes. "Yes, you do. You haven't once let out any emotion about what happened to you. Aren't you scared? Worried? You're not heartless."

Jeff took a deep breath, and pulled away from John. He took a few steps away from him, and hit his cigarette shakily. "I'm fine…" He lied again, "I just deal with things differently than most people."

"No you don't. You don't deal with them at all."

Jeff was shocked at how incredibly right John was, but then suddenly, he found himself very annoyed, and defensive. Sure, he liked John, maybe more… but he had had his heart broken way too many times not to expect it now, and John Cena actually caring about him was a pipe dream, a wish, one of those things that didn't come true. He whipped around. "Why do you care?" He snapped, "Why does it even matter to you? You don't know Shannon, or Kimo… Shit, you barely know me!"

John winced at the words, confused at Jeff's sudden anger… but then it hit him. No one had ever tried to help him. No one had ever addressed it. No one had ever taken him in their arms and told him it was ok to be weak for a little bit. John's eyes softened and he walked over to Jeff who was still tense with anger. He just reached out and pulled him into a sweet, yet passionate kiss. Jeff forgot his cigarette and melted, his anger falling away quickly. John broke it, and stared into his eyes.

"I want to be here for you, Jeff. I want you to fall, so I can catch you. I want to know what bothers you, so I can fix it. I want you to let me in…"

Jeff almost fell in love with him right there, but pulled back. He knew better. "John…" He trailed off and walked to lean on the railing, looking over the hotel parking lot. "People lie, John. Sometimes, not even on purpose. You think you care about me, sure… but later, will you be there? When I'm annoying, or sick, or stupid, or mad… how long will you really be around? I'm not perfect…and people want perfect…. And people like you, deserve perfect."

John walked over and wrapped his arms around the enigma. He held him close, as Jeff finished his cigarette and flicked it over the railing. They stood, and John could feel Jeff shaking ever so slightly. He held him tight and placed a few sweet kisses on his neck. "You're wrong, Jeff…" He whispered, "I don't want perfect…. I want you…"

Jeff sighed. Maybe it was real… maybe for once someone wasn't lying, or falling for his shell, and not him. Maybe John Cena could actually … love him.

He whipped around and looked at John with sad, serious eyes. "You really mean that, don't you?"

"I would never lie to you."

"You don't know that." Jeff looked down.

It was John's turn to be frustrated, but he swallowed the feeling and took a deep breath. "Yes, I do! You're beautiful, and intense. All of my senses go insane when I'm around you… I never want that feeling to go away. I promise to take care of you, and love you. To never let you fall, without catching you. Never let you cry without wiping away your tears." John took another breath, surprised at how easily his words flowed, "And if you just say it… Just tell me you'll be mine, and I promise to protect and keep you forever. Just say it, Jeff."

Jeff's heart was thumping against his chest, and he couldn't believe this was happening to him. He felt like he would've floated away, if Jeff wasn't holding his hips. Their bodies were close, and Jeff could feel the electricity all around them. _Fuck it_, Jeff finally thought, slung his arms around John and kissed him with such intensity, that John almost lost his balance. When the kiss broke, Jeff laid his head on John's chest. "I'm yours…" He whispered.

John tighten his grip around the smaller man, and the magnitude of the situation was setting in on both of them. They had just become official. John was Jeff's and Jeff was John's…. and John was determined never to let that change.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Shannon was pacing the room, keeping one eye on the creepy man standing by the door. He wanted so badly to be at home… to be with his boyfriend and his friends… to know that everything was going to be ok. Finally, he sat on the bed, and looked up at the creepy man. _Might as well, _he thought.

"So, what's up?" He said.

The man gave him a confused look, but said: "This."

"So, nothing… You got any playing cards or something?"

"No."

Shannon frowned and looked at the huge round clock above the door. It was nearly 6.. He looked around the room, trying to think of something to do other than make conversation with a kidnapper, when suddenly the man spoke up with a question that shocked him: "Why did you trade yourself for your friend?"

Shannon looked at him, confused. "Because he is my friend and I love him… wouldn't you do it for your friends?"

"I don't have any friends that I would risk my life for, no…"

_Risk your life…_ The words burned into Shannon's mind. "Do you even have friends?" The question just kind of fell out of his mouth.

"Some."

"And you wouldn't risk your life for any of them?"

"No."

"Then how can you call them your friends?"

The man stopped, contemplating the question. "Well, I suppose if you put it that way, I have no friends."

Shannon almost felt sorry for the man. "So you have never cared about someone enough to risk everything for them?"

"No." This guy was cold.

Shannon couldn't help but let out a laugh. "I feel sorry for you then… Love is one incredible feeling.." Kimo was all he was thinking about.

The guy gave him a look that was emotionless, but questioning. "You're in love?"

"Have been for a while. Of course, Jeff isn't the one I'm in love with… but I love him. I don't know how to explain it. Love is complicated."

"Too complicated. It's not worth it. Love gets you hurt."

"Ah. You've had your heart broken, is that it?"

"No." The guys said, uncrossing his arms for the first time since he'd arrived, "I've never been in love… but I've seen what it can do. Giving your entire soul to someone… and they more than often shatter it, and you're left cold, alone, and hurt. No amount of happiness is worth the pain that will inevitably result. Love is a fool's game… and everyone looses."

Shannon gave the guy a sympathetic look as he was starting to see him more as a person and less as a kidnapper. "What's your name?" he asked him, not sure why.

The man was silent for a moment, as if deciding weather or not to answer, but finally said: "Samuel."

"I'm Shannon."

"I know."

"I figured as much."

Before Samuel could respond, the door started to open. Shannon's heart sank. Derrick slid in and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Samuel. "What the hell are you doing here?" Samuel snapped. Shannon could see Derrick searching for something to say, but nothing was coming. Samuel stepped forward and pushed Derrick into the wall. "You shouldn't even be here this late." He yelled, "Stay away from him!"

Without even looking at Shannon, Derrick rushed out of the room. Samuel made sure that the door was locked, and turned his attention to Shannon. "Has he been in here before?" Shannon couldn't think of what to say. "Well… it won't matter. I'm going to have someone here at all times to make sure."

Shannon's heart was thumping in his chest. That was his only hope for escape, but the next words Samuel said, turned Shannon's world upside down. "Derrick is dangerous. He's hurt people. He will lie to you, and he will hurt you. I've seen it."

"What do you mean?" Shannon asked, not sure if he even wanted to know.

Samuel closed his eyes and took a breath, obviously trying to calm himself. "Just don't worry about it. Just know that Derrick is dangerous, and to stay far away from him. He may seem harmless, but he is far from it."

Shannon looked down at the floor, his hopes dashed. He didn't know who was lying Samuel, or Derrick, but either way, they weren't going to help him. He was suddenly full of renewed terror, and he looked up at Samuel, who was watching the door closely, and then knew that no one was going to save him…

_**At 6:00...**_

Matt's phone started to ring. Everyone in the room tensed up, as Matt answered it, placing it on speaker phone. "Hello?"

"Have you made a decision?"

It was only then that Matt realized they hadn't. "What do we have to do?"

"Leave Jeff Hardy in room 62 at the Marriot Hotel. We will retrieve him and leave Shannon Moore in his place. Jeff Hardy is to be alone. Any sign of interference, and we will take them both. You have until 9. If the room is empty, we will take Shannon Moore as a replacement. Goodnight."

As the phone went silent, Jeff stood close to John, their hands laced. Kimo turned and retreated towards the bathroom. Matt just stared at the phone. They all sat in silence. Jeff turned to John, wanting so bad to cry, but all he did was cuddle to his chest. John held him close as he spoke: "Well… What are we going to do?"

There was silence as Kimo walked back in to join them. He was wiping the tears from his eyes. "Well, it's obvious." Kimo finally said, and they all looked to him. "They never said they would kill them, they said they would take them… So all we have to do is station ourselves around the room, and do our best to save them…"

"But these people are professionals, Kimo." Jeff said, "How are we going to out smart them?"

Kimo thought for a bit, and Matt almost jumped out of his skin when his phone rang again. It was Evan. Jeff stopped him before he could ignore it. "Talk to him…" Jeff said. His brother gave him a sheepish smile, and walked outside, answering as he did.

"Hey Babe…"

"Matt! Where the hell have you been?" Evan was obvious passed worry and more towards pissed. "Why haven't you been answering my calls? I can tell when you ignore me, you know!"

"I know, Evan. I'm sorry… It's just…"

"Just what, Matthew? What has been so important that you can't take time to talk to me? I love you! I want to know!"

"I know, Evan… Listen to me, ok?"

"Ok…"

"Something is happening, and it's difficult to explain… but Jeff is in danger. Shannon has been… well, kidnapped…"

"Kidnapped?!"

"Yeah, but we're going to help him."

"Matt, you have to call the police!"

"We… can't. It's complicated…"

"Matthew…"

"Evan, I love you…. So much."

"I love you too, Matt. Do I need to come home? I can…."

"No!" Matt even shocked himself with his harsh tone, "You stay away from here… It's not safe."

"Matt, I want to be with you. This is serious…"

"Yes, it is. That's why you need to stay away from it. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Nothing's going to happen to me. I want to be there with you!"

"No, Evan."

"It's nonnegotiable, Matt Hardy."

Matt couldn't help but smile at his boyfriend, he felt himself about to give in, but then his rational side took over. "Evan… Please, it's dangerous. I really don't want you to…"

"Matt, I understand, but…"

"But nothing, Evan. I promise I will come to you as soon as I can… Just… Promise me you won't come."

"Matt…"

"Promise…"

"I…" His boyfriend was silent for a moment. "Fine… fine, I promise."

Matt took a sigh of relief. "I love you." He said again.

"I love you too, Matt… Now you promise that you'll be careful…"

"I promise. I'll call you when I can."

"Ok…. I love you so much Matt…"

"I love you more." Matt hung up the phone before Evan could say anything else. He had to take a deep breath to hold back his emotion. He loved Evan. He really, really did. They had been an item for almost as long as Shannon and Kimo, and Matt knew that he was the one. The person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He absolutely could not let him anywhere near these men… They were crazy, unpredictable. It was bad enough that they were after his friend, and brother… he'd be damned if they were after his boyfriend too.

As he walked back into the hotel, the three inside were silent. "How is Evan?" Jeff asked.

"Fine… I told him what I could."

"Matt!" Jeff said, alarmed, "You know he is going to come here! You know him better than to tell him you are in any kind of trouble…"

"I made him promise he wouldn't."

"He'll break it…"

Matt glared at his brother and tried to shake off his words. "So, what's the plan?" He asked. They all kind of looked at each other, no one really speaking up. Finally, it was John who broke the silence: "I guess, Kimo's idea is the best we've got…"


End file.
